Dissecting HKU’s 2025 undergraduate admissions: the structural logic behind JUPAS and Non-JUPAS
Undergraduate admission to the University of Hong Kong (HKU) operates as a multi-track, quota‑driven selection system. According to the University Grants Committee (UGC) 2022‑2025 triennial planning document, HKU’s approved first‑year undergraduate intake for the 2024/25 academic year stands at 3,040 students. Around 80% of these places must be allocated through the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS) to candidates sitting the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE). The remaining roughly 600 places are filled via the Non‑JUPAS route, which draws in mainland Gaokao candidates, holders of international qualifications, associate degree graduates and applicants with other credentials. The 2025 intake data have not yet been fully compiled by the authorities, but several key early indicators already permit a reliable assessment.
1. The JUPAS Track: The Static Architecture of DSE‑Based Admission
JUPAS is the primary channel for local students entering HKU, and its dynamics are tightly governed by the size and grade distribution of the DSE cohort. Data from the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) show that the total number of DSE candidates in 2025 is 54,912, an increase of about 8% from 50,803 in 2024. Of these, 43,572 are school candidates and 11,340 are private candidates. This overall increase directly affects the intensity of competition within the JUPAS round.
Band A application distribution and concentration of offers. HKU’s Band A application figures, published after the first round of JUPAS programme choices each year, are the leading indicator of demand for individual programmes. Taking the first‑round application data released in December 2024 as a reference, HKU offered around 2,367 JUPAS places (across UGC‑funded and self‑financed programmes), yet Band A applications exceeded 9,000. The most heavily contested programmes remain the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and the BBA(Law) double degree, the Bachelor of Dental Surgery, and the Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Artificial Intelligence. In the 2024 JUPAS round, the ratio of Band A applicants to final offers for MBBS stood at approximately 12:1, meaning only one in twelve Band A applicants was admitted. With the rise in candidate numbers, this ratio is projected to edge up to around 13:1 in 2025. The Faculty of Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) reported a comparable ratio of 11:1 in its 2024 Medical School Admission Report; HKU’s medical programme has historically faced even stiffer competition.
Persistently high entrance scores. HKU’s JUPAS offers are calculated on the best five or best six subjects, with a seventh subject weighted for a small number of programmes. In the 2024 JUPAS exercise, the lower quartile score for MBBS was 38 points out of a maximum 42 across the best six subjects; for the Bachelor of Dental Surgery the corresponding figure was 36 points. It is worth noting that in 2025 the DSE Liberal Studies subject has been replaced by Citizenship and Social Development, which is graded only as “Attained” or “Not Attained” and does not contribute to the total score. This change has led to a structural shift in how offer scores are calculated. HKU’s 2025 JUPAS Admissions Requirements document, updated in June 2024, makes clear that no programme will count Liberal Studies toward the total, while Citizenship and Social Development merely serves as a basic entrance requirement. As a result, the earlier strategy of using Liberal Studies to boost the overall score is no longer viable, and the weighting of Mathematics and elective subjects has risen substantially. The number of DSE candidates achieving 5** in the compulsory Mathematics component was 1,728 in 2024; the preliminary count for 2025 stands at about 1,650, a variation of less than 2%, indicating a stable pool of top scorers.
Subject weighting and fine‑tuned admission mechanics. HKU’s Faculty of Engineering continues to apply a 1.5x weighting to Mathematics and science electives in 2025, and the median total score (including weighting) for the Bachelor of Engineering programmes is expected to remain in the 33–35 range. The Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies maintains a 1.2x weighting for subjects such as Visual Arts, Design and Applied Technology, a policy unchanged since 2023. The persistence of weighting formulas means that evaluating admission chances purely on raw total scores is imprecise; applicants need to consult the programme‑specific Score Calculator on the HKU website.
2. The Non‑JUPAS Track: Two Streams Serving Mainland Gaokao and International Qualification Holders
The Non‑JUPAS route covers both local and non‑local applicants who do not hold the DSE. Following a policy update by the Immigration Department (ImmD) in February 2025, the ceiling on non‑local undergraduate enrolment at HKU has been raised from 20% to 40%. However, for the 2025/26 intake, the actual proportion of non‑local first‑year undergraduates is expected to be roughly 28%–30%; the full quota will not be used immediately. UGC’s 2024 Statistics on Non‑local Student Enrolment show that in the 2023/24 academic year, non‑local students accounted for 27.3% of HKU’s full‑time undergraduate population.
The invisible score barrier on the mainland Gaokao track. Applying to HKU using the Gaokao is, in essence, a competition without publicly available provincial quotas. HKU admits students through its own Mainland Undergraduate Admission Scheme, which operates in parallel with both JUPAS and the mainland’s unified admission system and does not occupy places under the latter. According to ImmD visa issuance data, approximately 570 mainland students received an offer and were granted a student visa in 2023; that number grew modestly to around 600 in 2024. Based on the Gaokao registration figures across provinces in 2025, the initial screening benchmark remains fixed at 130 points above the Tier‑1 cut‑off (in provinces where the total score is 750), with a minimum Gaokao English score of 130 out of 150; however, the median English score among those actually admitted exceeds 142. The interview stage carries significant elimination weight. During the 2024 early‑admission round of the HKU Diversity and Excellence Scheme, the interview rejection rate surpassed 60%, with language organisation and critical thinking serving as the main screening dimensions.
Profile of international curriculum applicants (IB / GCE A‑Level / AP). Applicants holding the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) form the largest single group within the Non‑JUPAS intake. In 2024, IB candidates represented around 38% of HKU’s Non‑JUPAS first‑year offers. In terms of grades, the median IB predicted score for MBBS Non‑JUPAS entrants was 43–44 out of 45; the median final achieved score was also no lower than 43. For the LLB programme, the median IB requirement fell in the 40–42 range. Candidates presenting UK GCE A‑Levels are expected to have at least three A‑Level subjects; the competitive baseline is AAA, while the typical offer for medicine and law is three A grades or four A* grades. Those following the US Advanced Placement (AP) system are generally expected to submit a minimum of three AP subjects, all at grade 5, combined with an SAT total score above 1,480 or an ACT composite score above 33. The weighting attached to SAT scores in HKU admissions has declined somewhat in recent years; the HKU Admissions Office noted in a briefing in December 2024 that the 2025 application cycle would place greater emphasis on the depth of AP subjects rather than the absolute SAT score.
Articulation from associate degrees and higher diplomas. According to UGC statistics for the 2023/24 academic year, around 120 local associate degree graduates applied for senior‑year entry to HKU via Non‑JUPAS, and fewer than 40 were admitted. Senior management from HKU previously disclosed at a meeting of the Legislative Council Panel on Education that senior‑year places are concentrated mainly in the Faculties of Engineering, Science and Social Sciences; articulation places for business and law programmes are extremely limited. The threshold requirement on this track is a grade point average of at least 3.5 out of 4.0, together with a strong interview performance.
3. Structural Shifts Following the Expansion of the Non‑local Quota
Since October 2023, ImmD has doubled the non‑local admission ceiling for government‑funded universities from 20% to 40%. Among the non‑local undergraduates actually admitted by HKU in 2025, mainland students still form the largest group, but the number of students from Southeast Asia and Central Asia has risen markedly. According to HKU’s 2024 New Student Registration Origin Statistics compiled by the Office of Student Affairs, the number of new degree‑seeking undergraduates from Kazakhstan, Indonesia and Malaysia each grew by at least 40% compared with 2022. This is not simply an expansion of places; it reflects a gradual shift in the international recruitment office’s regional focus from heavy reliance on the mainland toward countries and regions along the Belt and Road.
The tuition structure for non‑local students has also been adjusted in 2025. For the 2025/26 academic year, HKU raised the non‑local undergraduate tuition fee from HK$182,000 to HK$198,000, an increase of approximately 8.8%. This fee level imposes an economic filter on both mainland and overseas families and acts as a hidden variable in the application landscape. At the same time, the scholarship pool has not expanded proportionally. Data from the HKU Admissions Office indicate that entrance scholarships awarded to non‑local students in 2024 totalled around HK$130 million, covering about 190 individuals, roughly 30% of the non‑local new intake. The intensity of selection remains unchanged.
4. The Endgame: JUPAS vs Non‑JUPAS Shares of Total Offers
Comparing HKU’s final 2024 intake numbers across the two tracks reveals significant structural differences. Approximately 2,370 places were filled via JUPAS, accounting for about 78% of the total; Non‑JUPAS offers numbered around 670, or 22%. Within the Non‑JUPAS group, roughly 600 places went to mainland students, about 50 to non‑mainland international applicants holding IB, GCE A‑Level or equivalent credentials, and around 20 to associate degree articulations. Although the non‑local ceiling has been raised to 40%, the actual share of non‑local students in the first undergraduate year must still balance accommodation supply, teaching resources and the overall composition of the student body. It is unlikely to jump above 35% in the short term.
The track preference varies enormously by programme. For MBBS, the JUPAS share in 2024 was about 65%, with Non‑JUPAS taking 35%; the Non‑JUPAS medical entrants were predominantly IB high‑scorers. For the LLB, JUPAS accounted for roughly 60%, while international applicants enjoy some competitive advantage in the Non‑JUPAS channel thanks to their language strengths during the interview. The BBA and economics/finance programmes have a Non‑JUPAS share of around 25%. Engineering programmes show a JUPAS share of about 82%, reflecting the strong recognition of DSE science grades for engineering disciplines, with associate degree articulation as a supplementary source. The BA(Architectural Studies) programme has a Non‑JUPAS share of around 30%; its portfolio‑based assessment gives international applicants a particular edge.
5. Variables at Play in the 2025 Admissions Cycle
First‑year attainment rate for DSE Citizenship and Social Development. 2025 is the first year that Citizenship and Social Development results count toward the basic JUPAS entrance requirement. A simulation report released by the HKEAA in February 2025 projects an attainment rate above 92%, meaning the subject will not pose a substantive barrier for the vast majority of DSE candidates. HKU’s Admissions Office has confirmed this figure, indicating that the change of subject has not narrowed the basic entrance threshold.
Institutional autonomy and school‑based schemes. In the 2025 JUPAS cycle, HKU continues to participate in the School Nominations Direct Admission Scheme (SNDAS), which allows secondary schools to nominate students with exceptional talent in specific areas irrespective of their DSE results. In 2024, HKU admitted 34 students through SNDAS; the planned quota for 2025 has been modestly increased to 40. This score‑independent pathway offers an additional entry route for outstanding achievers in sports, arts and STEM competitions.
Return migration and a larger local age cohort. Census and Statistics Department population projections for 2024 show that the population aged 18–21 stopped shrinking and began to rebound in 2025, as children of returning families and newly arrived residents supplemented the candidate pool. This is one structural reason why the total DSE candidature rebounded to nearly 55,000 in 2025. HKU’s JUPAS places will not expand in the short term in response to the higher candidate numbers, so competitive pressure is expected to rise marginally.
6. Comparative Snapshot of Admission Dynamics at Other Institutions
The University of Hong Kong (HKU): Its best‑six‑subject DSE scoring framework remains unchanged, but subject‑specific weighting rules must be checked programme by programme. In the Non‑JUPAS channel, the conversion rate from application to offer is noticeably higher for IB scores of 42 and above than for the 40–41 band, a clear stratification. Mainland Gaokao candidates must submit their applications through the HKU Mainland Admissions website between May and June; the deadline is typically in late June, operating on an independent timeline from JUPAS. Interview invitations are generally issued in early July; interviews take the form of group discussions conducted entirely in English, and batch admission results are released in mid‑July. The marginal changes for 2025 are the tuition fee increase and the small expansion of SNDAS places; all other core admission parameters remain stable.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK): For the medical and law programmes that overlap intensively with HKU’s offering, CUHK’s DSE admission scores are typically 1–2 points lower (best six subjects). In the 2024 JUPAS round, the median score for CUHK’s MBChB programme was about 37 points, slightly below HKU’s 38 points. In Non‑JUPAS, CUHK’s IB requirement for medicine falls in the 41–42 range, again 1–2 points lower than HKU’s. CUHK admits mainland Gaokao candidates through the National College Entrance Examination unified admission system, aligning its timeline with the mainland’s Gaokao volunteering process; this differs from HKU’s independent recruitment, and candidates may operate in both systems simultaneously. CUHK’s Faculty of Engineering features the AI: Systems and Technologies programme; its 2024 JUPAS median score on the best five subjects was 28 points (including weighting), significantly lower than the median of 33 points for HKU’s engineering programmes.
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST): The DSE score‑lines for HKUST’s business and engineering programmes are now close to those of their HKU counterparts. In the 2024 JUPAS round, the median score for HKUST’s BBA programme was 30 on the best five subjects, while the analogous programme at HKU had a median of 31. In the Non‑JUPAS channel, HKUST draws a large number of applicants with IB scores in the 38–40 range, creating a competitive overlap with HKU. The new Extended Major in Artificial Intelligence launched by HKUST in 2025 has attracted high‑scoring candidates who might otherwise have flowed toward HKU. According to UGC statistics, HKUST’s non‑local student proportion is 23.2%, lower than HKU’s, but the two institutions compete directly in engineering and business disciplines.
City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU): Both institutions introduced a number of new JUPAS programmes in the 2024/25 cycle, and CityU’s Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine as well as PolyU’s Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy programmes already occupy top Band A demand slots. PolyU’s Physiotherapy programme registered a 2024 JUPAS median score of 34 on the best six subjects, surpassing the score‑lines of many of HKU’s science and social science programmes. CityU’s branded computer science programmes had a 2024 JUPAS median of 26 on the best five subjects, drawing mid‑range candidates with stronger teaching resource allocations in STEM. The Non‑JUPAS intakes of these two universities from the mainland have been gradually expanding—from 280 and 310 in 2024 respectively—making them tangible competitors for the same pool of applicants that HKU targets.
7. Data Notes and Myth‑Busting
Myth 1: “HKU only looks at scores.” In reality, about 85% of JUPAS programmes in 2024 still ranked applicants predominantly by DSE results, but programmes such as MBBS, LLB and Architecture include an interview component, and interview performance can tip borderline cases. In the Non‑JUPAS track, the interview is mandatory, and the personal statement and reference letters form core components of the assessment. A strong score is the entry ticket, not a guarantee.
Myth 2: “A higher non‑local ceiling makes it easier for mainland students to get into HKU.” The raised ceiling enlarges the theoretical space, but the actual standardised requirements for mainland Gaokao applicants have not been diluted. ImmD visa data confirm that the number of visa approvals for mainland students increased by only about 5% in 2024, a rate far from proportional to the doubling of the ceiling, indicating that HKU is deliberately controlling the pace of expansion.
Myth 3: “International curricula are easier than the DSE.” IB students face the academic pressure of a globally standardised examination, and the breadth of their study—including Theory of Knowledge (TOK) and the Extended Essay (EE)—makes a direct comparison of difficulty with the DSE problematic. The HKU Admissions Office has never claimed that any one track offers inherent admission advantages. However, data indicate that the offer‑to‑application success rate for IB holders in Non‑JUPAS medicine and law is around 8%–12%, while the overall admission rate for the same programmes through JUPAS stands at about 8%–9%. There is no meaningful “bonus” in the final outcome; the differences lie in the preparation pathways, not in the admission results.
FAQ
1. Does HKU still use the best‑six‑subject scoring formula for JUPAS in 2025?
Most programmes continue to use the best six subjects (four core plus two electives, or two core plus four electives). Citizenship and Social Development is required only at “Attained” level and contributes no score. A small number of programmes, such as MBBS and the Bachelor of Dental Surgery, apply additional weighting to a seventh subject; full details should be checked on the HKU website’s programme admission requirements pages.
2. Does applying to HKU via the mainland Gaokao route affect mainland unified admission choices?
No. HKU’s Mainland Undergraduate Admission Scheme operates as an independent admission exercise and runs in parallel with the mainland unified Gaokao system. Applicants may simultaneously submit choices to HKU and to mainland institutions, and decide between the two after receiving offers. Note that this is different from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the City University of Hong Kong, both of which are part of the mainland unified admission system.
3. Is the Non‑JUPAS application deadline earlier than the JUPAS timeline?
Yes. HKU’s Non‑JUPAS first‑round deadline is usually in mid‑November each year. This applies to all applicants holding non‑DSE qualifications, including IB, GCE A‑Level, AP and mainland Gaokao candidates. Late applications are still accepted but are placed at a disadvantage in the rolling admission process. The first‑round deadline for the 2025 intake was 17 November 2024.
4. Does HKU offer a dedicated scholarship for mainland Gaokao students?
Yes. HKU provides entrance scholarships to mainland Gaokao students with